Nilphamari, Sept 22 (UNB) – Two persons were killed in a head-on collision between a bus and auto-rickshaw at Champachali in Saidpur upazila on Saturday night.

The deceased were identified as Faridul, 28, son of Abzal and Hasem, 32, son of Abdur Rauf, both residents of Telipara Pakerhat in Khansama upazila.

Shajahan Pasha, officer-in-charge of Saidpur Police Station, said the accident occurred when a Dhaka-bound bus collided head-on with an auto-rickshaw around 10:30pm, leaving 2 dead on the spot.

On information, police recovered the bodies and sent them to Sadar Hospital for autopsy, the OC added.

Dhaka, Sep 22 (UNB) - Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Saturday said that the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian PM Narendra Modi have taken the relation between the two countries to its highest point

Shringla came up with the remarks while inaugurating an academic building in Tongibari upazila in the district as chief guest. 

“After Liberation War Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Indira Gandhi developed a strong bond between the countries and now Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Narendra Modi have taken that relation to its highest extent,” he said.

Local MP Sagufta Yasmin, and Tongibari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Hasina Aktar were also present in the programme.
 

Chandpur, Sept 22 (UNB) – A wood-laden trawler was capsized in the Meghna river due to strong current on Friday.

The Narayanganj-bound ‘MV Prince Ship Modina’ was carrying huge woods capsized in the estuary of Meghna and Dakatia rivers in the noon, said Rezaul Karim, officer-in-charge of Chandpur Naval Police Station.

Woods worth around Tk 10 lakh were washed away in the rivers, said Ibrahim, owner of the trawler.

However, members of naval police and coastguard in association with local boatmen rescued four staffs of the trawler. They are Seraj, 40, Khalek, 50, Repon, 30, and Shipon, 20, a residents of different upazilas in Barishal, he added.

Cumilla, Sept 22 (UNB) - Ruling party Awami League Secretary-General Obaidul Quader has said candidates who have sacrificed for the party during its bad times, and enjoy the acceptance of the people, will get the party’s nominations for 11th Jatiya Sangshad elections. 

Conversely those who have exploited the party’s good standing or extorted money in its name will not, said the veteran AL leader while speaking at a public rally on the premises of Eliotganj Rabi High School in Daudkandi. 

Speaking at what was essentially a campaign rally, Obaidul, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, once again claimed ‘many beneficiaries and opportunists’ have entered the party’s fold in recent times, a theme he has often returned to over the last one year, as a way to rally the traditional AL base, mandyfeel sidelined in the party today. 

“They will never stay with the party through hard times. We may call them the otithee pakhi (guest or migratory birds),” Quader said.  

He expressed his absolute faith in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina awarding  nominations to the deserving candidates only on the basis of a well-thought out decision.    

He dismissed the BNP’s chances of mounting any movement prior to the election, claiming “they don’t have the public support to do so.” He also chastised them as a poor guardian for the nation’s democracy.

The programme was presided over by Hazi AKM Bahauddin Bahar, president of Cumilla metropolitan Awami League. 

AL turned out a very strong line up of party higher-ups for the rally; besides Obaidul Quader, joint secretary-general Md Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal and presidium member Abdul Matin Khashru also spoke at the rally, reflecting the importance in which Cumilla is held by politicians. 
 

Dhaka, Sept 22 (UNB) - The Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association (BPWA) on Saturday alleged that the newly approved Road Transport Act 2018 was prepared just to serve the interest of transport owners and workers, not of the general public.

Although passengers have become hostages to the transport owners and workers for a long time, there is no directive in the new law to relief them, said BPWA General Secretary Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury.

Mozammel made the claims during a press conference organized by BPWA at the Mukti Bhaban in the city’s Paltan area.

“Although the government seriously accepted the demands raised by the students during their recent movement for road safety, it was not reflected in this law,” said Mozammel.

As the influential transport owner-labor organisation was involved in formulating the law, it has become a document of their interests, he said.

There is no clear direction in this law to stop passengers' harassment, rent anarchy, plying unfit vehicles on the streets, various irregularities in public transport as well as there is no specific instruction in the law to make the BRTA and traffic department corruption free, he claimed.

The proposal to set up a separate investigation agency for investigating into road accident cases was also ignored in this law, Mozammel further said.

“Despite the presence of a registered passenger welfare association in the country, the authority did not take their opinions under consideration while drafting the law," The secretary general said. “The law does not represent the demands of the general passengers.”

Road accidents have turned into an epidemic, with an average of 50-64 people getting killed and 150 people becoming injured a day, Mozammel alleged.

“If the rule of law is not established on the roads, this epidemic will not stop,” he added.

In order to ensure the representation of passenger organizations alongside owner and labour organizations, Mozammel urged the government to include the rights and demands of the general passengers in all areas including public transport, regional transport committees and road safety committees.

He urged a direct intervention of the country’s President in the proper implementation of the Road Transport Act 2018.

Road Safety Foundation Vice Chairman MA Hamid Sharif, BPWA central leader Mohiuddin Ahmed, Ziaul Haque Chowdhury, Amanullah Mahafuz and Advocate Zayedur Rahman also spoke on the occasion.